Against a Denver team that thrives on attacking the rim on offense and crashing the boards at both ends of the floor, it can't be underestimated how critical 7-foot Andrew Bogut could be toward altering the dynamic for the Warriors in their playoff series with the favored Nuggets.

Denver won three of four games against Golden State during the regular season, but Bogut didn't play in any of them. He will play in this series, however, and promises to deliver what he has, even if he's less 100 percent physically.

After missing three games with a bone bruise in his left ankle, Bogut logged 17 minutes in the regular-season finale at Portland and said he'll be ready to go against the Nuggets.

Golden State Warriors's Andrew Bogut (12) makes his home debut against the Dallas Mavericks in the first half of a NBA game at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013. (Ray Chavez/Staff)

But will the 7-footer be able to handle the fast pace Denver is sure to try and bring?

"We'll find out ... I hope so," he said. "If I can't, we're going to be in some trouble. All of our bigs need to do a good job of getting back (on defense)."

Bogut said his ankle is much improved and that even getting that limited time against the Blazers Wednesday night was crucial.

"I definitely wanted to play at least one game before the playoffs, just to get some of my rhythm and legs back," he said. "I felt like I was moving pretty well. It's the playoffs, so you have to hurry up and get healthy. The playoffs are no time to be thinking about the ankle or myself. I'm just going to go out there and play as hard as I can and leave it one the floor."

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If he can handle the physical demands, Bogut's teammates believe he can be a major factor in a potential upset.

"He'll be big for us," said Stephen Curry. "He's just a presence. They're long and athletic, and hopefully, we can allow Bogut to control the paint and the boards and keep them off the offensive glass. Second-chance points are a big bonus for them, and hopefully he can neutralize that with his presence down low."

"They (the Nuggets) are a team with a lot of depth and the more depth we have is going to be important to us," said David Lee. "Having a guy like Andrew can definitely help, just trying to match their numbers."

Bogut understands he may have to score a little more as well, even though he hasn't really shown that side of his game much as he's battled back from injuries and then finding it hard to get his shot to drop.

"I'm not going to be a be-all, end-all (on offense)," he said. "My primary role and focus right now is to make sure their bigs don't get cheap buckets. I hope to control the paint, block some shots and get 10 rebounds a game. But obviously it would be nice to have some shots fall."

Bogut also believes to beat the Nuggets, they have to match Denver's physicality.

"Teams that have 4's and 5's that can bang us around in the paint have given us trouble, so we have to accept that challenge," he said. "If we start giving up a lot of second chance points and offensive rebounds because of the physicality, I think we're going to be in big trouble."

The key, he said, is getting back when Denver fires out on the break.

"They like to run, and we like to run, but we feel like we're a defensive team first and if we can get back defensively and make them play in the half court, we feel like we have a chance to win," Bogut said.